Find more adventure in the Poconos, PA

There are plenty of great things to do in the Poconos. Click on one of the activities below for more details and contact information for local attractions. If you are traveling to the Pocono Mountains be sure to spend some time in the great outdoors. The Poconos give you the opportunity for outdoor adventures like rafting, biking, hiking and more!

Biking

Whitewater Challengers offers a bike shuttle and rental service to the Lehigh Gorge State Park where you can enjoy 9 mile, 13.5 mile, or 22.5 mile trips. Bring your own bike or rent one here! Visit our Trail Biking in the Poconos page for rates and details about biking in the Lehigh Gorge State Park.

Bowling

Looking for an evening activity in the Poconos. Check out a nearby bowling alley with family and friends. Learn More

Bowl Arena (Hazleton) – 570-501-9482

Back Mountain Bowling (Dallas) – 570-675-5026

Chacko’s Lanes (Wilkes Barre) – 570-208-2695

Stanton Lanes (Wilkes Barre) – 570-824-4661

Bumper Boats

Nearby Camelbeach Resort offers a variety of fun family activities including their bumper boats in the Poconos. Contact them at 570-629-1662.

Disc Golf

Disc Golf combines a favorite recreational pastime – frisbee throwing – with one of the world’s great sports – golf. Book now with an instructor from Whitewater Challengers or play a course nearby in the Poconos. Learn More

Enjoy 18 holes of disc golf at Hickory Run State Park, free shuttle from the rafting center in Weatherly, PA, and a personable instructor. Playing time is approximately 90 minutes. $20/adult or $14/youth (under 17). Call 800-443-8554 for more info.

Or choose from any of the nearby disc golf courses to play on your own:

Golf Courses

Are you looking to spend the day on the greens in the Poconos? You can enjoy the rolling hills of a golf course or swing your club on the driving range. Learn More

Mountain Laurel Golf Club

Located just outside White Haven, PA in the Pocono Mountains. This club offers a natural grass driving range and a short-game area that has a putting green, chipping area and bunker. Mountain Laurel Golf Club is a brief 10 minute drive from Whitewater Challengers Adventure Center. Click here for more info.

Fishing

For avid anglers, check out these great locations (Pennsylvania fishing licenses are required):

Fitness/Health Clubs

Don’t break from the routine on your getaway in the Poconos. Although we recommend skipping the gym and starting your day with an outdoor adventure (like rafting or biking), here are a few nearby fitness clubs so you can get in that morning work out. Click here for a list of local fitness/health clubs.

Core Fitness (Hazleton) – 570-455-7818

Crossfit (Drums) – 570-690-0859

YMCA/YWCA (Hazleton) – 570-455-2046

YMCA of Wilkes Barre (Wilkes Barre) – 570-208-9622

Athletic Club (Wilkes Barre) – 570-823-2124

Odessy Fitness Center (Wilkes Barre) – 570-829-2661

Hiking Trails

Whitewater Challengers is located in the scenic Pocono Mountains region. With vast areas of wilderness the Poconos are home to several State Parks filled with hiking & biking trails, scenic vistas and historic areas. Learn More

Hickory Run State Park

Less than a half hour from Whitewater Challengers Adventure center in the Poconos is one of the most popular state parks in Pennsylvania. With an elaborate hiking trail systems with more than 40 interconnecting trails lead to a variety of impressive overlooks and special geological features of the Pocono Mountains.

Boulder Field is a popular destination in the park. Unchanged since glaciers receded from the area 20,000 years ago, this area is striking for its absence of vegetation, and for the sea of boulders strewn like a lake over a massive area. You can walk out onto the “sea” of boulders, some up to 25 feet in length. If you request it in advance (570-443-0400) a Hickory Run State Park naturalist can meet with your group.

Lehigh Gorge State Park

Just a couple of minutes from Whitewater Challengers Adventure Center, the Lehigh Gorge State Park provides one of the Commonwealth’s premier bicycling trails, with over 25 miles of gentle (2%) downhill grade when starting in White Haven and biking towards Jim Thorpe, PA. The park is also home to wonderful hiking trails and fishing opportunities.

Historic Sites

The Poconos is rich in history. There are great activities for adults and children who wish to learn more about the history and culture of the area. Visit an old mining village or travel down into the coal mines for yourself. Learn More

Eckley Miners Village (Weatherly)

Eckley Miners Village is a living history site dedicated to the lives of the immigrants who toiled in the coal fields at the height of the anthracite boom. Eckley Miners’ Village, surrounded by black-silt ponds and strip-mining pits, is alive with the unique heritage of the anthracite region just west of the Pocono Mountain Region of PA. Settled in 1854, the community remained a privately owned company “patch” town until 1971. Now a National Register District, Eckley is home to more than fifty residents – retired miners, their widows and children. Its 58 buildings, 100 acres, furnishings and exhibits preserve the everyday life of the coal miner and his family. Call 570-636-2070 for more info.

Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour (Scranton)

Explore 300 feet beneath the earth. Meet a miner in the winding caverns of the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour. Travel down three different veins of hard coal and see for yourself how men slaved on hands and knees to harvest black diamonds. Learn about life and hard-coal times in the Shifting Shanty. Enjoy photo-mural exhibits, mining artifacts, tools, and video presentations. Visit the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum and the Company Store Gift Shoppe. Call 800-238-7245 for more info.

Jackson Mansion Tour (Berwick)

Tour the Jackson Mansion and learn about Clarence G. Jackson who was the youngest son of the of the self-made railroad equipment manufacturer, M. W. Jackson. Call 570-759-8726 for more information on tours of the Jack Mansion.

Horse Racing

Visit Mohegan Sun in the Poconos to watch horse racing. Call 570-831-2100 for more info.

Horseback Riding

Explore the back mountains of the Poconos by horseback on a guided tour by Deer Path Riding stables. Located just 15 minutes from the Adventure Center at Whitewater Challengers. Call 570-443-4431 for more info.

Miniature Golf

Bring the whole family or a few friends for a fun-filled round of miniature golf in the scenic Pocono Mountains. Click here for a list of local miniature golf courses.

Mickey’s Golf Center & Driving Range (Drums) – 570-788-9888

Split Rock Resort (Lake Harmony) – 570-722-9111

Camelback Resort (Tannersville) – 570-629-1661

Movie Theaters

If you are looking for an indoor activity for the family there are a few nearby cinemas in the Poconos. Click here for a list of local movie theaters.

Cinema & Drafthouse (Hazleton) – 570-455-2455

Regal Cinema (Hazleton) – 844-462-7342

RC Theater Movies 14 (Wilkes Barre) – 570-825-4444

Cinemark at Montage Mountain (Scranton) – 570-961-5943

Panning and Fossils

Everyone- young and old- will love the excitement of finding beautiful gemstones and fossils in what appears to be a bag of dirt. This activity is available at the Whitewater Challengers Rafting Center in Weatherly, PA. Learn More

3 easy steps to panning…

Purchase, in our camp store, a bag of “mining rough” enriched with gems or fossils from around the world…no two bags are alike!

Pour some of the mining rough in a screen-bottom box,

Dip the box in our sluice and watch the gems and fossils appear as the water washes the soil away. You can take home your precious keepsakes to remind you of your treasure-hunting experience at Whitewater Challengers.

Roller Skating

Get some wheels on those feet and visit a nearby roller skating rink in the Poconos. Check out either Skate-a-Way in Wilkesbarre (570-829-1236) or Strand Roller Rink in McAdoo (570-929-2224).

Shopping

Looking to do some shopping while on your Pocono Mountains Getaway. Visit factory outlets at the Crossings or check out a nearby mall for more shopping opportunities. Click here for more details.

Laurel Mall (Hazleton) – 570-454-2100

Crossings Outlets (Tannersville) – 570-629-4650

Wyoming Valley Mall (Wilkes Barre) – 570-823-1224

Swimming

If you are looking to spend the day in the water, visit nearby Hickory Run State Park. Just 20 minutes from the Adventure Center at Whitewater Challengers in the Poconos. One of the park’s favorite attractions is it’s large swimming area at Sand Spring Lake.

Tennis

Get on the courts during your stay in the Poconos. Click here to find local tennis courts.

Kingston Indoor Tennis (Wilkes Barre) – 570-288-1434

Odessy Fitness Center (Wilkes Barre) – 570-829-2661

Split Rock Resort (Lake Harmony) – 800-255-7625

Theater

Add a little arts and culture to your trip to the Poconos. There are several theaters near the Adventure Center at Whitewater Challengers. Learn More

Whitewater Rafting

Whitewater rafting in the Poconos is a family favorite! The Lehigh River offers exciting class 1, 2 & 3 rapids. Choose from various rafting trip options and add on other outdoor adventures like inflatable kayaking, trail biking, paintball, camping and more at the Adventure Center at Whitewater Challengers in the Poconos. Click here for more information.